Brooklyn Nets
Aggressive trade target: Bradley Beal
The Brooklyn Nets have to be sitting pretty heading into the NBA Trade Deadline. This is a team that has already traded away two veteran players and one that has a pretty highly sought-after trade deadline target in their back pocket. As the Nets head deeper into their rebuild, I'd argue that if they truly wanted to make some noise at the trade deadline, they should open themselves up to being a potential landing spot for Bradley Beal. Who knows if Beal would ever waive his no-trade clause for Brooklyn, but the Nets should be open to it.
The Nets should come to the Suns and Heat and say, hey I'm willing to help get this deal done but I'm going to need compensation for absorbing the final few years of Beal's contract. If the Nets can get two first-round picks and perhaps a young player, this could be a deal worth their time. Considering Brooklyn is entering the very early stages of a rebuild, they can absolutely swallow two years of Beal's contract under the right circumstances. Of course, none of this may end up mattering with the no-trade clause in play but it's certainly an option that Brooklyn should be willing to put on the table.
Charlotte Hornets
Aggressive trade target: Draft capital (in exchange for Miles Bridges)
The Charlotte Hornets are going nowhere fast. They have the third-worst record in the league and one of their best players on the team, Brandon Miller, is out for the remainder of the season. As the NBA Trade Deadline quickly approaches, this is a team that may want to consider trading away some of the veteran players on their roster. If the Hornets wanted to make an aggressive move, trading Miles Bridges away from any level of draft compensation should be at the top of their to-do list heading into the deadline.
In theory, Bridges is a good player. He's productive and has been when he's been healthy. However, for one reason or another, he may not be the best fit for the Hornets. With LaMelo Ball, Miller, and Mark Williams on the rise, this could be the perfect time to move on from Bridges. In theory, Bridges could bring a boost to a playoff team over the second half of the season. Slightly older than the established core, I'm simply not sold on Bridges' long-term fit on the team moving forward.